The changing international communication scene

The past two decades have witnessed a revolution in the field of information and communication technologies, internet and telecommunication engineering. The giant big leap forward in areas of space communications, optical fiber, high capacity Radio links has now transformed the entire world into a global village.
The information explosion due to vast strides in information and communication technologies supplemented through fast expansion in internet, mobile phones, fax machines with popular use of computers at affordable costs has totally changed the international communication scene. Recent advancements in information and communication technologies coupled with rapid digitalisation of telecommunication network, voice, video and data transmission of two-way signals spanning the continents, oceans of the world in split of a second.
The new emerging technologies have unlimited potential in accelerating the pace of socio-economic development, resulting in poverty reduction, sharing of knowledge and experience for the overall benefit of human race and civilisation.
However, a careful and judicious use of these new technologies is required to ensure proper safeguards of civil liberties, protection of human rights, freedom of expression and right to privacy and intellectual property rights.
ICT AND INTERNET POLICIES:
Information and Communications are considered an integral part of society. Recent technological innovations and rapid advancements in telecommunication have revolutionised the reach and speed of communication, leading to an era of digital technology. The new ICT can be divided into three main categories.
Information Technology implying extensive use of computers, which have become indispensable tools in modern societies to process the data, saving considerable human time and effort.
Telecommunication Technologies which include telephone, fax machine and broadcasting of radio and television signals through terrestrial links or via space satellites.
Networking Technologies which is most commonly known as the internet. This has now entered mobile phone technology Voice Over IP telephony (VOIP), satellite communications and other forms of communication still in their infancy.
The new emerging technologies have become part and parcel of contemporary societies of modern human civilisation. All acts and activities like talking on phone, sending an e-mail, using a library, listening to news and sports coverage on TV, working in an office, driving a car, catching a plane, or attending a video-conference make frequent use of ICTs.
The new ICTs do not operate in isolation from one another. The advantage and global coverage of the Internet makes it a focal point for use of new technologies. The decentralised, widely distributed packet based mode of transporting information makes it an efficient, cheap and flexible means of communications.
Now international telephone calls are often made through internet networks. Similarly, TV and radio signals are broadcast via the internet. The internet is also accessible through mobile phone networks.
The digital movies will soon be distributed through the internet to big screen cinemas, thus spreading the coverage zone amongst the masses at a fast decreasing cost.
Not only the new technologies have common convergences on their working but the areas of their application are becoming inter-related. In present day, telecommunications are firmly based on computer technology and are dependent on internet. Telephone companies are increasingly using VOIP to economise international communication cost.
Consumer commodities are increasingly becoming dependent upon internet. This is especially true of electronic devices and machines such as audio and DVD players/recorders. The process of convergence is not only happening at technological level, but also at industry level. Large internet service providers (ISP) are expected to be linked to the network of a national telecommunication company. Telecommunication giants are now considered multi-media giants who have made huge investments in Internet technologies in recent years.
For the government, it is imperative that traditional broadcasting regulations with restricted bandwidth having large investment cost are differentiated from Internet broadcasting based on different set of rules requiring low-capital outlays.
The concept of intellectual property, civic liberties and human rights violation are being transformed totally when all the information is in a digital form which can be copied and dispatched freely.
The world has changed enormously in the last 20 years. In a fast sharing world where information are being shared and exchanged at global level. The ICTs are an essential fundamental building block of this process. More cover, ICT has introduced radical changes in world financial markets.
The new technologies, sharing of knowledge and experiences must ultimately be used for the overall benefit of human being and civilisation focused on improvement of quality of life, spread of knowledge and poverty reduction. For realisation of these defined objectives ICT has to perform multi-dimensional functions.
In the days of globalisation, new Information and Communication technologies have wide applications on daily life. The internet, television and radio mobile telephones have provided new opportunities for improving the quality of human life, race and civilisation. Yet for millions of people living in world's poorest countries there remains a "digital divide" between the rich and the poor. The full benefits of ICT are not being trickled down for the benefit of common masses. This suggests that there is still a sizeable population of people who are continued to be deprived of reliable yet cheap sources of communication through global networks.
The global connectivity and networking unfold vast opportunities as well as challenges for the young generation to make use of un-limited scope in improving quality of life and social human values. Careful use of ICT is imperative to promote global harmony and cyber security.